Retailer says alley closed too long

An alleyway closed to traffic behind the fire-ravaged Sands-Dorsey building needs to be re-opened for delivery trucks and access to businesses, said businessowner Ruth Nelson.

An orange barrier blocks the alley on Second Street between Main and Center streets. No vehicles can enter because large metal supports attached to the rear brick wall of the Sands-Dorsey are anchored in the alley.
“I’ve been here (before the commission) several times before,” said Nelson, who is a co-owner of the Pajarito Interiors, which is adjacent to the Sands-Dorsey.

The city has not taken any action and it has been 10 months, Nelson said.
The burned-out state of the Sands-Dorsey is not safe, and combined with the blocked alley, the situation hurts property values, Nelson said.

It’s also unsafe and inconvenient to customers and busienssowners, Nelson said.

The city needs to take control and demolish the building, Nelson said. “We need you to take care of us,” she said.
The commissioners suggested that the Sands-Dorsey be put on the next meeting’s agenda.

In another matter before the commission, Dave Maxwell, CEO of Engineers Inc., asked the commission to consdier his firm again for future projects.

There were mistakes made regarding the firm’s work on the landfill, Maxwell said.

Maxwell said there had been a reorganization in his firm and that each of the offices, including the Tucumcari office, no longer operated in an autonomous manner.

In addition, changes in the company’s structure now provide a system of checks on projects, Maxwell said.
In the matter of street conditions, Commissioner Jim Lafferty asked for a priority list of street projects affecting his district.

Lafferty said some constituents in his district have asked him to explore a separate funding vehicle that residents could use and participate in to improve road conditions.

Lafferty represents District 5, the southeast corner of Tucumcari